Sam Fender has given the full amount of his twenty-five thousand pound Mercury Prize winnings to the MVT, which operates to protect the Britain's independent concert spaces.
Fender was presented with the prize on 16 October as his new release his work was named the outstanding release of the last 12 months.
The musician has decided to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function grassroots venues played in his initial steps.
"I personally would not have achieved this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I performed around the area, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Fender. "These venues are iconic, but they are facing challenges."
Beginning in 2023, over 150 of these locations have shut down – approximately 16 percent of the whole industry in the UK.
Over the past year, top acts like the band Pulp, the group Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all backed the Music Venues Trust in its efforts to support the industry, by adding a small levy to their ticket costs, which supports smaller concert halls.
Fender also took part, generating over £100k on his live tour to help numerous local spots across Britain.
These funds supported spaces that were dealing with imminent closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and personal losses, as well as regulatory hurdles, legal disputes and sound issues.
Some locations were granted funding support in upgrading amenities and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted performers and audiences.
"The notion that revenue from performances in large arenas helps the local stages, where it all starts for musicians like me, is just logical," Sam Fender has stated.
He is not the first artist to give his honor prize money to good deeds.
When Pulp received the award in 1996 for their record their work, lead singer Cocker stated that the group would contribute their winnings to the organization the charity.
That year, rapper and singer the artist shared her bounty among a few charities, like the NSPCC and a charity for Sickle Cell.
"Additionally, I donated a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was a child and they lacked better apparatus," the artist explained to outlets.
Two years ago, the band donated their prize money to the youth organization that developed their group, in addition to other local music groups.
Also the 1994 recipients the group contributed their prize to a charity for MS after a friend was diagnosed the illness.
"Receiving the award was sufficient," stated singer the singer. "The money was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the cake. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had saved a couple of grassroots venues in the South East, by transferring them to public stewardship.
The first in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition initiative, which is backed by the arts council and music fans who acquire "stakes" in the properties.
